Green Trail
by PrincessPeace15
Summary: You've seen it all with the Sonic characters, from medieval-type kingdom rivalries to severe, life-changing injuries. Ever picture them in a zombie apocalypse scenario? Well, now you can! Welcome to the first Sonic and Organ Trail crossover! This is rated T so I can fire at will and not be paranoid. Also... zombies. Romance may pop up here and there as well. Reviews are welcome!
1. Washington DC

*Rachel's POV*

The days, I knew, were growing numbered. The peaceful days. The days when everything was going to be alright. The days when I didn't have to let things get in the way of my happiness.

When I opened my eyes on that first morning, I knew that yesterday was the last day that I could have peace of mind. The groans… those soul-crushing, blood-chilling groans… they came in numbers from outside.

I didn't know why it was that I wasn't one of them.

It all began like this. Somewhere south of where I lived, an experiment had gone horribly wrong. Doctors had isolated a parasite into a petri dish in the lab that could completely take control of one's brain and transform them into a zombie.

When they weren't looking, the parasite escaped and infected one of the doctors. That doctor then attacked and infected all of the other doctors. Then, those doctors broke out, and so did a living hell.

But that was ages ago. I figured that as advanced as we were in our knowledge, someone would have done something about this and put all this chaos to rest.

Nope. As soon as we were advised not to leave the city, I knew that the days were numbered.

I kept a radio by my bedside ever since I heard that the so-called "G-parasite" escaped from that lab. It both crushed me and relieved me to know what was happening. I had always feared something like this.

And on this dismal morning, I woke up to the EAS Alert System announcing that we had 18 hours to evacuate the state. That everything was lost, and that it had to be nuked.

With misty eyes, I packed my things. My technology, the chargers for said technology, a few items of clothing, and all the food I could find. That would fit into a luggage bag, that is. Nobody could have time to lug too much around.

How wonderful my life had been before. I had had the best of friends. They all had amazing powers. Either that, or amazing willpower. Their names were Shadow, Knuckles, Sonic, Amy, Blaze, Silver, Vector, Charmy, and Espio. I could count on each and every one of them.

Especially Silver. If someone were to ask me who my best friend was out of all these great friends, it definitely had to be him. He could tell me anything. I saw something special in him. Shortly before the G-parasite broke out, I kinda… desired to be more than friends with him.

I could have sworn I could still hear groans groaning from outside my walls. Moaning in utter desire… for my flesh.

I had always pictured myself losing my will to live in this type of situation. I mean, I was a rather picky person. If I couldn't do what I wanted, what was life worth? An apocalypse had always been my biggest fear. A time where I have to worry more about my survival than my own happiness. A time where my life would never be the same.

But when actually thrown into the situation by the hands of fate, my natural desire to _not _die kicked in. No matter if there was hope or not, I knew that dying would be painful. I wasn't _quite _ready yet. Or so I thought.

My heart rate increasing by the boatload, I pushed the door open and made a run for it. It was here that I figured I'd die, and it was a realization that came entirely too late. The zombies… I didn't even recognize what poor, undead souls were crying out for help under those empty eyes and those salivating mouths. Either way, a few saw me and were beginning to limp my way.

That, and I wasn't in any shape whatsoever to do any endless running.

I could run for a little while, but once fatigue actually did catch up with me, I was in the city. The patchy, damaged, dismal city where there would have been lots of people… and where there were now lots of zombies. My throat felt as if it had been stabbed. Breath was hard to come across. I could not run any longer. The zombies were only getting closer…

Before I knew it, I was surrounded. If I tried to find a gap in the horde, one of them would certainly manage to bite me. I knew how this parasite was spread: through the teeth of the infected.

As my life flashed before my eyes, I suddenly heard an explosion. Oh, God… was I already too late? The radio had told me that I had a total of 18 hours… It had only been 10 minutes since then!

By instinct, I had shielded my eyes. The light from atomic bombs and explosives of that type were known to blind. I didn't want to see it coming.

When I realized I wasn't dead yet, I uncovered my eyes to find that a huge fraction of the zombie horde around me was dead. There was a huge space in the circle for me to escape through.

Standing there, on a heap of dead zombies… was Shadow. He had a gun in his hand. I wondered where I could get myself one of those.

"Shadow!" I cried, running away from the remaining zombies. "Thank you!"

He didn't say a word, but first brought up his gun and shot down every last one of the zombies that had their sights set on me, and even a few that were going after him.

I ran up to him, panting "Would you happen to know where anyone else is? That's not undead, that is?"

"Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles are the only ones I know are alive," Shadow sighed.

"Where are they?" I asked.

"They're waiting in a station wagon nearby," said Shadow. "We're hearing a lot about this 'Safe Haven' that's supposed to be free of all this undead mess. It's thousands of miles away, though. But even I'm sick of all this crap, so I'm willing to go."

"I'll go with you guys, too," I said, finding my luggage bag and picking it up.

I followed Shadow, trying my best not to let what was bare of my legs scrape against any of the zombies below my feet. Ugh… it was so disgusting… but I knew that this was our new life.

We made it over to the car that Shadow had mentioned. Sure enough, Amy, Knuckles, and Sonic were waiting rather impatiently within it. I also noticed that sitting between Sonic and the driver's seat was a huge crate.

"I'll drive," Shadow announced, getting into the driver's area of the station wagon, finding a key, and starting it.

I opened one of the back doors, and Amy moved over so that I could sit. So this was going to be the location of the remainder of my life, huh?

"I know I asked you this already, Shadow," I asked. "…But does anyone know where any of our other friends are?"

Amy shook her head solemnly, not a word to be spoken. I knew she'd be permanently in tears if Sonic wasn't with us.

"No, we don't," said Knuckles. "Everywhere you look for miles, the place is in ruins. Everyone's a zombie except for the 5 of us, it seems."

Now, I was the one very close to breaking down in tears. I knew by the tone of Knuckles' voice that everyone else I had ever known was presumably dead or undead. Either way, never to be seen again.

That meant Silver was probably gone for good as well. While there was no way for me to know, there was no way for me to try to find him.

Well… either way, this "Safe Haven" sounded like paradise to me. I couldn't wait to get there and hopefully… _hopefully _have my life restored.

**Author's note: This almost wasn't possible. Shout out to RCTSG for convincing me to go through with it! Now you tell me: How's this going so far? Oh, and very likely, every chapter will be just a section of the trip. One chapter will likely be between one place and another, and the next will be at the current landmark they've arrived at. Like, one chapter would be between Point A and Point B, and the next chapter would be at Point B. Got it?**

**Question for the readers: What if, in the future, I were to bend the rules and have them encounter another party?**


	2. Washington DC to Pittsburgh

*Rachel's POV*

I felt a strange bout of relief once Shadow got the car up and running… and an even bigger one when it began to roll. One yard, but one of what I presumed was thousands.

We found a road, and rough rolling became a smooth, yet edgy cruise. Within about 15 minutes or so, we were dashing down that road at a joyfully large speed. I felt like we'd be to Safe Haven in no time.

None of us knew the patience-testing, life-threatening journey that was ahead.

Our first interruption came about an hour after we left.

"Oh, no," said Shadow. "…Sonic, weren't we supposed to turn down Avery Road? I could have sworn I did. We should have been on another highway ages ago!"

"Eh…" Sonic replied. "…About that. You were supposed to turn down Ivory… not Avery."

"AH, DAMNIT!" Shadow yelled, scaring the rest of us out of our wits. It was another hour of seemingly endless grunting and bickering before we found our way back to Ivory Avenue.

Another hour, as well, of blackened skies, chipped and weather buildings, sadness and desperate cries for help, and, most importantly, of uncertainty. Just the mere sight of what was happening to the outside word was sickening. Zombies chasing innocent people, brains being blown out, zombies _eating _and _converting _innocent people… I knew I was a strong person, but I wondered how far I was going to be able to go before I just completely broke down. Broke down and let all this pent up, meaningless distress meet the eyes, ears, and hopefully the hearts of those around me.

But when I felt the front of the car sink a little, along with ear-wrenching screeches of metal against pavement, I had to keep my guard up.

"AAGH!" Shadow raged. "A tire popped!"

Indeed, it did. Shadow went out to replace the tire, while the rest of us fearfully stared out the windows. There wasn't much going on too terribly close to the station wagon, but who knew how quickly that could change? If a bunch of the zed-heads (as Knuckles liked to call them) caught sight of us, we were dead meat. Or undead meat. Whichever came first.

I looked out the front window and saw that, in the short distance, there was a sign that read "PITTSBURGH CITY LIMITS." Not too far from that was what appeared to be a settlement of some sort. I cheered to myself before looking back out of the window to my left, seeing something much more dismal.

A zombie from out of nowhere was limping toward the car.

"U-Uh, Shadow?!" I cried, purely out of fear. "There's a zombie headed this way. Are you almost done with the tire?"

Everyone else gasped in response before a loud gunshot rang through the air. I looked back out to see the zombie lying dead on the ground, and Shadow getting back into the car. Great help, that Shadow.

After that, he pulled the car closer to the collection of healthy, lively people up ahead. I wasn't quite sure as to how they could help us, but I knew I'd know shortly.

* * *

**Author's note: Wow… word count's half of what I'd usually write. I kinda expected that. Anyway, a review would be greatly appreciated. This story doesn't have any at the moment, and I'd really love to know how it is for you! Anyone who took interest in it, please review! Thanks!**


	3. Pittsburgh

*Rachel's POV*

We pulled up to an empty spot not that far from the area of healthy travelers. There were a lot of other newer-looking cars around. Clearly, everyone had the same idea.

We got out and found an empty patch of grass to sit on. I felt more vulnerable than ever. I knew my luck entirely too well sometimes; I had the overwhelming sense that a zombie would materialize out of nowhere and attack us. We weren't even a thousand miles away from where we used to live happily before, and already, everything was entirely too uncertain.

That is, until I looked up and saw Shadow with a pile of guns in his hand. He walked over and handed each of us one of them.

"They're fully loaded with as much ammo as they can carry," he announced. "But do not WASTE that ammo. Life has taken a drastic turn for the worst. The turn that will make such simple things three times as difficult to come across. I'll go around and see what supplies I can gather with the money I stole from a dead body a while back. _Nobody wander off_."

And so, we sat, around a dismal patch of ground that looked like it'd make a great fire pit. Dismal, cracked, and blackened, like my hope, my heart, and the world around me. I would occasionally look up and see Amy crying against Sonic's shoulder. He had his arms wrapped around her in not a nervous manner, but in a way that made me assured that for once, her happiness was all he cared about. That further convinced me that life itself had taken a massive shift.

Night fell rather quickly. The moon and the stars were no longer beautiful symbols of slumber. They were the symbol of what was left. What was left alight while deadly darkness covered the world.

Soon, I looked up and realized that with the power of a rock and a stick, Knuckles had succeeded in starting a fire in that area in front of us. It roared brightly, leaving me a little safer.

Not long after that, everyone else curled up on the ground and fell asleep. Of course, there were those few from every little clique of travelers that had the energy of the sun, sitting upright and eagerly awaiting trouble, gun in hand. I tried to curl up and fall asleep as well, but it proved impossible.

Finally, I was brought to tears. The one work of nature that would make me feel better through all this was sleep, and I just couldn't bring myself to keep my eyes closed. I became envious of Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles as tears dripped from my face into the soil below my feet. All I could do was hold my gun close to me, fully appreciate all it would turn out to do for me, impatiently await the day, and cry silently.

It was all over, I knew. Finally, my optimism had met its match.

It was a few hours before the next key thing happened. Absolutely nothing had changed. The tears were perpetual in their motion. The hope left in my heart was perpetually draining by the minute.

Then, at that moment, I saw Shadow sit down next to me, looking me straight in the eye. With concerned eyes, to boot.

"Rest is crucial," he said, more calmly than I expected. "Fatigue will render you even more vulnerable than you know."

"I realize that," I said, choking on tears. "But I just can't. I can't sleep."

"Listen, I've conversed with many people here," Shadow continued. "We're all willing to work together. I, being the Ultimate Lifeform, do not need as much rest, so I'll be the watchful eyes of our group."

"…A-Alright," I sighed shakily. "I'll try to sleep."

I curled up on the ground again, finding it a little easier to rest.

Still, as much as I tried to fight it, I was still in tears. I could trust Shadow, but who knew what the future would bring? Nobody, not even Shadow, was perfect. No situation… no story… would ever be perfect and free of conflict. Something could very well take him away from us.

Suddenly, I felt Shadow's arms wrap around me. W-What?! This wasn't much like him… I mean, his heart wasn't always shrouded in ice, but still…

Either way, it was warm. It brought me comfort and happiness.

"Don't cry," he whispered, making me shiver ever so slightly for some reason. "We'll make it to Safe Haven… even if it's just you and me."

"You sure?" I whispered back.

"I'll do anything to make it a possibility," said Shadow. "Be strong for me. Everything'll be alright."

…Alright, let me clear something up. Shadow was simply a great friend of mine. This is the first time I can remember that he's ever truly hugged me. I hadn't been legitimately hugged in so long. I felt so cold, especially there on that zombie-ridden night, and Shadow brought me the warmth I needed.

But that was only the first night.

* * *

**Author's note: Look… no pressure on anyone, but I'd **_**really **_**like an opinion on this fanfiction. It was an idea I had, and I was supported in going through with it by someone who's turned out to be the most awesome guy I've ever met, but… was it worth the effort in **_**your **_**opinion?**


	4. Pittsburgh to the mall

*Rachel's POV*

The next morning, I was being shaken awake by Shadow.

As I sat up, I saw as all around me, the campers of before were packing up and heading towards their own rickety vehicles. They were ready to continue the journey to Safe Haven.

So was I.

"Hey," he whispered. "We're ready to move on."

Indeed, we were. Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles were already waiting in the car. The fire had been put out, and everything was packed up. I almost felt a little guilty that I wasn't awake to help out.

Nevertheless, once Shadow and I got into the car, we continued on our attempt of a journey to a place that seemed to be the crash area of Heaven.

We had traveled 200 deathly silent miles before someone finally spoke. It was Shadow… in an outrage once again.

I looked to my right and noticed that Amy was balled up as tightly as physically possible against her corner of the car. When I looked back to the road ahead… I became just as aghast.

"Oh, _no_…" growled Shadow. "A massive horde."

Just as stated. Zombies… millions of thousands of them… were trudging around, mouths agape, out for flesh.

"Can't we just shoot at them?" asked Knuckles.

"Can't you get out and use your Chaos Blast?" Amy squeaked.

"Can I just attack them?" asked Sonic.

I, for one, did not say a word. I was fighting against nausea. As bumpy, and possibly sickening, as it would be, I knew we'd just have to burn some rubber and dash right through them. Running over their sickened, disgusting bodies… their helpless, lost souls…

"A horde like this'd run our ammo supply completely dry," Shadow sighed. "It's too risky for _anyone _to so much as open the window. We'll have to try ramming through them. Flooring it. Prepare for some guts."

At that, I heard him put a heavy step on the gas pedal. All 4 tires below us screeched with velocity, and we were off. We rocked around repeatedly as poor, soulless bodies fell victim to the weight of the car. As I saw the clearing, one zombie flat out skidded across the windshield, then on the roof, then off the back, taking a hit from the bumper on the way down.

"We made it," said Shadow.

"Whew," said Knuckles. "You don't say. Anyone got bit?"

"Nope," I piped up.

"Not here," said Sonic.

"Not a scratch!" cheered Amy.

"Me neither," said Shadow. "We're all good."

We continued down the road.

About half an hour later, I heard Amy begin to cry.

"What are we going to do, Sonic?" she asked. "Any step outside is a death sentence waiting to happen! D-Do you think it'll be like this forever?"

"I hope not," Sonic shuddered.

"There's just no way of knowing," I sighed solemnly. "Who knows if an airplane will come flying over us with a curing serum to the parasite within the next 5 minutes?"

"I don't think we'll be nearly that lucky," said Shadow. "Most of the world has fallen victim to zombification. We happen to be a fragment of the pool of survivors left on this planet. Life, as we know it, will never be the same again."

Then, I looked to my left and noticed Knuckles had begun to shed some tears.

"R-… Rouge…" he cried. "I never realized just how much I took my knowing her for granted. She's out there somewhere… and she's most likely… one of them, if not lying as a heap of undead meat somewhere."

"I'm just glad I still have Sonic," Amy added. "I'm awfully sorry about your loss, Knuckles."

What would be the worth in voicing my loss?, I decided.

My loss? I really never mentioned it too much, but that's because the direness of the situation as a whole made me temporarily forget about it… believe it or not. Now, just sitting here, watching bricks fall off of buildings, stray zombies with nothing more than human flesh on their minds, and fires flare out from all around… it all came rushing back.

I had begun this journey to Safe Haven without the one person I could say I loved. He was my best friend, and my heart had constantly been calling out for me to accept the fact that truly, I saw him as more than that. Silver… my first true love. He was out there somewhere as well… and as much as my famous optimism wanted to help me deny it, he had probably suffered the same fate as Rouge.

…No. My optimism had to step in. I needed it more than ever! He had to be out there somewhere. There was nothing _proving _that he was done for. For all I knew, he may possibly have been sitting on the back of a van… simply waiting for me to arrive…

I just couldn't be sure, and for that, I joined Amy and Knuckles in the shedding of tears.

We soon found ourselves pulling up to another landmark. It looked like a huge superstore of sorts… but with all the chips, scrapes, and pleas for help, I couldn't be sure.

We got out and hesitantly went inside. Indeed… it was a mall. One of my favorite places to spend the day whenever the occasion struck… when everything was at least 110 times as outgoing as it was now.

* * *

**Author's note: I'm glad you're taking the time to enjoy my stories. You know what'd be really awesome, though? If you were to check out a very well-written story, created by a friend of mine. His pen name is RCTSG, and his story is called "WATCHMAN OF MOBIUS". Romance, adventure and depth galore! Well... whoever you are, fair reader, I hope you're having a great day! :)**


	5. The mall

*Rachel's POV*

We walked in on a sight that didn't quite feel that different anymore. Burning banners, cages closing off the shops, bricks chipping, the occasional corpse withering away, people crying futile tears… I felt as if I was dried of tears myself.

"We won't need a fire this time," said Shadow. "The place is shelter enough. We don't need it burning to a crisp even faster than I perceive it already will."

Poor place, I said to myself. I wondered if it was as heartbroken as I was.

We found ourselves simply meandering around the place the entirety of the time we were there. Well, Knuckles and I, that is, while Shadow was gathering supplies and making trades… like the leader he'd asserted himself to be…

Knuckles and I were just wandering around, trying to make sense of our thoughts. On separate paths, with separate heartbreaks and memories… that somehow traveled down the same corridor.

Suddenly, I found myself walking face-first into a warm, furry, putrid mass of… someone. I backed up, saying my apologies and trying to eradicate the stench of pure body odor from my nose and memory. I mean, I never wasted my time on too much personal hygiene, but… I've never rolled around in a landfill before.

That aside, the person I bumped into was also saying "Oh, sorry! Are you alright?" He seemed to be a panda bear. He wore a battered T-shirt and nothing else, but he appeared to be nice. It was just… Mother of Goodness, did he radiate a putrid odor!

"No, it's my bad," I tried to assure him. "I wasn't looking where I was going. I was completely spaced out."

"No, really," he countered. "It's alright."

"Alright," I quickly nodded, starting to walk away.

"Hey, wait!" he said, reaching a paw out and touching my shoulder. "You're a pretty girl. If your crew will be sticking around here for a while… I'd like to talk to you… I-I have some body spray with me, I swear!"

Well… there really was no reason that I had to abandon this poor guy. Never before had some stranger flat out called me pretty… even in a horny way, let alone the kind, clean manner that he had.

He immediately picked up a can of body spray, spraying the entirety of himself with it. Instantly, his odor sort of… fizzled out.

"I'm sorry I stink so much," he sighed. "It's just that… I only have 2 people I can rely on with my life. Spencer, my best friend, and Marcus… more like a pushy elder brother than a friend. Other than that, I have no one. I'm not asking you to be my wife or anything, but until you and your crew leave here… I'd like to just… talk."

"…I-I can do that," I replied. Never before had someone loaded so much of a story on me like that. I was a little taken aback.

"My name's Noah," he smiled. "Tell me. While I come from a clan of only 2 others… where do you come from? Is your story nearly as pitiful as mine?"

At this, that classic ball of sadness started to rise up in my throat. It was almost like my tear tanks had instantly refilled themselves. Either that, or I had grown so used to everything up to this point…

"I had many friends," I explained. "Then, this god forsaken apocalypse hit home. I come from a clan of 4 others, and none of them were my best friend. They were faithful, trustworthy friends, don't get me wrong. But none of them compared to my best. He was always there for me when I just needed a lift, or when I was completely shrouded in darkness. Quite frankly, I was in love with him. All I could do is wait for him to show even a mere sign that he felt the same." I began to sob. "Now, he's out there somewhere. Not with us. I utterly REFUSE to give in to the belief that he's dead, or undead. He could either be that or with another party, possibly trailing behind or going ahead of ours."

At this, I regained my composure.

"But I… I-I guess I can focus on that if we reach Safe Haven."

"Sounds rough," Noah nodded. "…You know, I've always wondered something since we had to pack up and travel westward. Marcus told me that there's a myth going around… That at Safe Haven, they'll pay you if you turn in someone that's infected with this G-parasite, but not quite turned yet."

"Huh," I mused. "…You know, I think I've heard that around as well. Who knows? I could see it."

At that, I heard a different voice call "'Ey, Noah! We gotta think about leavin' soon!"

"That's Marcus," said Noah.

Not long after that, a lion was by Noah's side. He was about 1 ½ times as tall. Green eyes and a red college-type sweater. The definition of a stereotypical frat boy… I think…

"…Hey, you," he smiled, looking at me and winking once. "What's your name, beautiful?"

"Rachel," I blushed. "…Nice to meet you?"

"Beautiful to meet you, too," he replied. "What do you say you… come back to our station wagon for a while before we leave? Maybe… come with us?"

Crap… I felt trapped. Yes, Marcus seemed to be handsome, but… was he really interested in only one thing?

Saved by the voice, I was at that moment.

"Rachel!" Shadow called from the bottom floor of the mall. "We're about ready to leave!"

"Hang on, I'll be there in a minute!" I called back.

"Aw," Marcus sighed sarcastically. "Leaving so soon?"

"I guess," I shrugged. "Bye, Noah!"

"…Bye," waved Noah.

I quickly dashed down the motionless escalator and found Shadow. Whew. I almost never wanted to see Marcus anywhere ever again.

"Much progress?" I asked as we walked toward the door.

"A lot," nodded Shadow, who was carrying a wooden crate. "Got a good amount of ammo, managed to scavenge a few hundred ounces of food… We'd be here longer, but I noticed that more and more zombies are managing to break in. I eventually decided that if we slept here, we wouldn't last the night before being ripped to shreds."

"Oh," I said. "Sounds plausible."

3 minutes later found all 5 of us back in the car, Shadow starting it back up and getting it back on the road. Down the road to our next destination.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey, werewolf99… sorry if I butchered your fan characters at all. I'm merely going off of what you've told me. On that same note… OCs! I **_**will **_**possibly be needing a couple of them in the future… Finally, a recommendation towards the story a friend of mine has written! His name is RCTSG, he's a wonderful writer, and his story is called "WATCHMAN OF MOBIUS." Check it out… pwease? Agh, my sinuses hurt… Has cold and flu season attacked anyone else yet?**


	6. The mall to Indianapolis

*Rachel's POV*

And so, we headed toward Indianapolis. Yet another set of burning buildings, hungry zombies, and crumbling hopes zoomed by. Same old, same old at this point.

Really… the distance between the mall and Indianapolis would have been worth absolutely nothing as far as events goes… if it weren't for a bit of bickering that went on between me, Shadow, and Knuckles.

Who knew that bickering could do such a thing to my curiosity?

Knuckles had been shedding tears the entire way, giving a few sobs here and there. It almost seemed like his tears were what was keeping him from bursting with fury. Amy and I were a little wary.

To my surprise, Amy decided to ask him what was wrong.

"Rouge," Knuckles growled. "…I-I don't know what to think! We haven't seen her or heard word of anyone seeing her. I have every reason to just give in and accept that she's gone."

"You don't know that," I chimed in, hoping that my famous optimism could be of use to someone else for once. "You haven't heard word of her _dying_, either. You just don't know, that's all. For all you know-"

"Just stop it, Rachel," Knuckles growled, making me whimper a little inside. "…You know, I don't understand you. How you have the courage to think outrageous things of a situation that are very likely not true. It'll only bring you disappointment. Y-You don't know ANYTHING about what I'm going through. The love of my life is out there somewhere, likely being eaten alive by those effing zombies! You haven't been in love yet, as far as I know. You just don't know…"

"But I-" I began.

"Calm down back there!" Shadow sneered. "We all need to remain as a team. Normally, I'm not one to give a damn about it, but we're in a dire situation. We don't need tensions to run high. Let's focus on the situation at hand."

"I can't!" Knuckles retaliated. "Rouge has become my entire life. My heart is all hers, and she may possibly be gone!"

Shadow tried to begin "Quit assuming so-"

"As for YOU," Knuckles growled. "You can be at peace knowing the one you love is safe!"

Amy, Sonic, and I gasped. Had I missed something, or… was there a secret among us?

"She's not only safe, but by your side!" Knuckles growled.

"SHUT UP!" Shadow shouted.

At that, everyone was silent for the rest of the hour.

An hour later found us pulling up to a settlement that looked much like the one in Philadelphia. Lonely, weary travelers wandered about, trading and conversing.

But… what was that argument an hour before all about? If what was true was what I was thinking…

Either Amy or I had stolen Shadow's heart. He had a crush on one of us. I wasn't in love with him or anything (Silver still had my heart, even in absence), but… it's things like that that completely captivate my curiosity.

* * *

**Author's note: Sorry this chapter's so short. Long story.**


	7. Indianapolis

*Rachel's POV*

We all stepped out of the car, and whether it was remaining fury or outright shock, we all shook to some degree. An earthquake still shot through our bones for a split second.

I almost wanted to say I recognized the area, but the memory just wasn't there. I could only sigh as I imagined it. What were once bustling roads were now chipping imprints of what was. What were once landmarks, memories, and happy places were now withering stacks. Who were once smiling children were probably perished, and who were once cheerful and caring adults were now ravenous monsters. Not gone, but… gone.

This point was where life began to take on that same stature. I merely survived… I wasn't living.

Nonetheless, my life would prove to be put on the line that night, and I wanted to keep it.

Shadow had gone to gather supplies, like the father hen that he was. We all sat around a withstanding flame, trying to make sense of… life. Why were we still here? What if this Safe Haven was only a dream?

Out of nowhere, I heard a little girl's tears. Normally, I wasn't the one to be caring around kids, but this was different. This sob wasn't one of spite, resentment, or crankiness… Within her tears, I caught a hint of something children only occasionally experience. Pure sadness.

I looked around, soon laying eyes on the poor soul I was hearing. She was an orange fox with a white-tipped tail, curled up against the sturdy wall of what was once probably a tower of offices, in a blue and red dress. Sad was really an understatement. She looked utterly broken, as if her body had crushed along with her heart. Yet she was technically perfectly healthy and unscratched.

Still, it was a different story within her, I knew. I could almost feel myself beginning to relate again.

I looked to Amy and Sonic, who were merely staring down at the fire with eyes of icy hopelessness. Then, I looked to Knuckles, who almost took the same stature as the girl.

I knew why he was down.

I looked back to the girl, carefully scooting over to her.

"…What's wrong?" I asked.

"…Someone who cares…" she sighed, smiling and looking up at me. She had beautiful eyes that almost seemed to be crafted of topaz. "Nobody cares about anything but themselves. Now, I can see that, but… I lost something very important to me, and now, the area has too many zombies for me to go get it."

"What is it?" I asked.

"My blue teddy bear," the girl replied. "It has the necklace with my birthstone on it. My brother gave it to me before the zombies started appearing. He went outside to get something. Then, I heard Mommy shriek. Later, I learned that he didn't have a chance. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Flame, by the way."

"Where did you lose the bear?" I asked. Where was all this compassion coming from?

"Over there," she said, pointing to a street just north of us.

I had to gulp down a bout of nausea. If I were in Flame's position, absolutely nothing would be different. There were hundreds of those heartless creatures limping around there, looking for helpless survivors.

When I noticed that a bunch of them started to peel away from the group and meander our way, I looked to my gun and knew what had to be done. There was no reason not to mend both our chances of survival and the poor soul's heart.

"I'll try to go get it for you," I told her shakily. Most of me patted me on the back, but the other part was wondering just what I had gotten myself into.

"You will?" Flame cheered. "Oh, thank you, stranger! Well, you won't be a stranger once I know your name. What is it?"

"Rachel," I smiled back, grasping my gun and getting ready to sneak into yet another death sentence. "Nice to meet you."

At that, I just booked it.

As soon as I got just a few yards closer, I caught sight of it. Flame's beloved teddy bear. The birthstone hanging from its neck on a worn chain of pure gold… looked exactly like my birthstone. I dashed up to it and picked it up.

For real, not knowing what I had gotten myself into.

I looked to my right, and there they were. Hundreds of them, ready to tear me apart tissue by tissue.

I began to dash the other way… just to barely avoid getting nipped by a zombie that had come from the other direction.

Before I knew that I was in yet another crisis situation, I heard the echoes of gunshots ring through the air, and the zombies around me beginning to fall flat on their faces. I was only slightly surprised anymore. Whoever this was was a great shot!

I looked to see that whoever this was… was Shadow.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he asked worriedly, a false sense of rage in his eyes. "You could have gotten yourself killed! And for a teddy bear?!"

"Thank you, Shadow!" I smiled, beginning to run back toward the settlement. "I had to do it. The zombies were starting to drift our way anyway, and… I had a favor to do."

I instantly found the girl, whose eyes lit up like the sun when she spotted the war-torn, slightly blood-stained treasure in my hands.

I handed it to her… never feeling so proud of myself in ages.

"Oh, thank you, Rachel!" she said, giving me a quick hug. "This means the world to me! I wish I could repay you somehow!"

"Flame?" a male voice asked from a short distance away. "We have to get going. I know you miss your bear friend, but…"

I looked to my left and saw who I knew was this girl's father. He had a tuft of orange hair between his ears, and he wore a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, but other than that, he looked exactly like Flame… just in male, grown-up form.

"…Flame, what did I tell you about getting near those zombies?!" he tried scolding, with an unwavering bout of disbelief in his eyes.

"I didn't, Daddy, I swear!" Flame replied. "Rachel got him back for me!"

"Who's this 'Rachel'?" Flame's father asked suspiciously.

"That would be me," I chimed in shyly.

The worried father looked at me once, his complexion of worry transforming into one of utter gratefulness.

Grabbing Flame's hand, he told me "…Thank you so much for cheering my daughter up and mending her hopes. She loves that bear like she would a beau... for her age, anyway. It's all that keeps her happy. She says it's the only reason she sleeps at night."

"She says that's her birthstone around its neck," I said with an uncontrollable smile. "…That's also my color of birthstone!"

"How cool!" Flame's father cheered, beginning to walk away with Flame. "I hope my daughter grows up to be someone like you. The world needs more of your kind of heart, especially in such dire, uncertain times. Thank you… you angel."

At that, I watched as Flame followed her father to their car and got in, carrying her teddy friend with her. For a split second, I was forlorn to see the bear go. I remembered having the same type of teddy bear… but I had to leave it at home, tucked away with broken memories.

Nevertheless, a little bit of my hope was restored as well.

I looked to Shadow, expecting him to prompt us to leave in a huff… but instead, he appeared to be in a blank stare. He almost seemed to be contemplating. It was almost as if he saw something in my good deed, too.

An hour later found us packed in the station wagon again. As we pulled away from the settlement, I looked back on the past couple of hours and baffled myself. Through all this, when all had been just about lost within me, I went out of my way to mend _someone else's _heart… and found myself able to smile again.


	8. indianapolis to the farmland

*Rachel's POV*

That trip to the farmland… A moment within that trip was so heartbreaking that everything leading up to it is sort of a blur. I think I remember staring off into space. Looking past the burning buildings for once and diving deep into the darkest realms of my mind. Dark as in shadowed, not demented. I wondered if Silver'd be proud of my good deed toward Flame… I wondered what it truly made Shadow feel…

About half an hour later, I'd find out what Shadow was feeling for sure. Not in his heart and soul… but purely in his body.

I found myself being jolted back to reality by a strange feeling in my gut. The motion of the car felt… unnatural. We were certainly turning, but this turn was different.

I looked ahead to see that we weren't necessarily turning, per se… but veering toward the edge of the road.

In a panicked manner, I heard brakes being slammed and the car teetering between the road and the ditch ahead.

"Shadow!" Sonic cried as the car backed away and straightened back out. "What was that?!"

"You scared me senseless!" Knuckles shouted.

"…I-I'm sorry," said Shadow.

Wait, that didn't sound good at all. HE didn't sound good at all. His voice sounded as if it was being pressed on by the weight of a thousand Eggmen. He sounded blocked up… _messed up…_

"Are you okay, Shadow?" asked Amy. "You really don't sound great."

"…Alright, I feel like crap," Shadow admitted, beginning to drive again. "If I pull another stunt like that, I want one of you to take the wheel. I've been fatigued, hot, and utterly miserable. It just hasn't flared up until now. I've also got these spots in my mouth…"

"Oh no."

That came from Amy. My heart dropped. Sonic, Knuckles, and I looked at her. Her eyes showed nothing but utter fear.

"Shadow…" she gasped. "…I'm pretty sure Shadow has measles."

We all responded in different ways… all in sheer horror. We had another biohazard on our hands.

"…His eyes won't stay open," Sonic grunted, shifting the car into park. "Shadow, I think we should let Rachel drive."

Why me? To this day, I still have no clue why they chose me in the first place. It'd turn out to be inevitable.

"…Fine," Shadow nodded, opening the door and stepping out. I did the same, and soon, I had the wheel.

I shifted into drive and continued our journey down the road. I felt so official and heroic.

The feeling would have set in if not so much more was crippling my hopes. No sign of anyone else out here on these lonely roads. Nothing but vast fields and roaming, rotten, ravenous monsters.

It especially hit me after I caught sight of our next destination ahead. A simple red shack… Could I even imagine how crowded the place probably was?

As I parked in front of it, I looked back at Shadow once more, having my confidence brought to a new type of low. Not one where I had no faith in myself, but… no faith in the future. Shadow not only looked as if death itself was cruising down our street… He didn't look himself at all as he slept a long, hard sleep.

I set eyes back onto the shack. If Shadow's condition was really going to turn for the worst, I'd have my work cut out for me.

Unwavering, testing work.


	9. The farmland

*Rachel's POV*

As it'd turn out, the shack would resemble my heart. Rotting, crippled, and just about empty.

Leaving Shadow in the car to munch on a bag of chips, the rest of us got out our guns and carefully opened the door. It looked like your stereotypical farm house. Darkened wood, peeling cabinets, and the smell of cigars that once burned happily between someone's lips, breakfast that once fried attractively atop a stove… and ambition. Daily, unwavering ambition.

Then, we caught sight of what would make me the star attraction of the moment. 5 bodies, cramming themselves into a corner by a dust-glazed cabinet, crying for mercy and just for someone to rescue them.

From what? A single one of those limping, sickened monsters, clad in overalls and a shirt.

Almost as if it was a reflex, I took initiative. I still had no clue what drove me to do something so crucial within a split second, but I did. I raised my gun, pointed it at the thing's head, and shot. Soon, little drops of speckled blood flew to the floor, and so did the zombie. The 5 bodies in the corner got up, gasping and staring in both awe and pure trauma at the vanquish of what might have been the end to their lives.

The bodies? They were what was left of a family. A wife and four children. I could feel the feels rise up in my throat. I had just rescued the children from their own father… the wife from her own true love…

"…T-Thank you," the wife answered gratefully, tearing herself away from the gruesome sight laying on the ground. She then reached into her pocket, pulling out $15. "Here. It's the least I can do." Her voice began to quiver. "We had heard about the apocalypse and have been prepared since about a week ago. We figured we didn't need to leave until there were signs of real imminent danger, but… then my h-husband came home… He punched the door down, and looking at him, we knew that they had gotten him. We didn't have any guns at hand, so we thought we were doomed. Then, you guys came in."

She handed me the $15… and my sense of leadership. I had risked my life for more than one person already, and from what I'd heard, we weren't even halfway to the supposed Safe Haven yet.

It was destined. When disease struck our father hen… I became the mother hen. It suddenly hit me that I would have to take a lot of charge in coming weeks.

"I hate to ask," I sighed. "But do you have anything else to trade? One of our party members is deathly ill, and-"

Deathly ill. Feeling the words slip off of my tongue made my heart completely abandon a beat.

"I'm afraid not," the wife said, shaking her head. "We've barely got any resources as it is. We'll try to pull through, though."

"Is there anyone else here?" I asked. "Any refugees or family members?"

"Nope. Just us," the lady replied. "If you'll excuse us, we need to make final preparations before we leave this house for good. They say the end to all this is in a facility out west."

"We're heading there as well," I nodded.

"Good luck to you," she smiled.

At that, we left. We got in the car, instantly turning our heads toward Shadow, who appeared to have eaten the last chip in the bag and was now just lying there, breathing. Surviving. Staring down at the floor of the car as if it was the only sight left in the world… with eyes filled with pure darkness and rid of all hope.

"How are you feeling?" asked Amy.

"No better," Shadow grunted, closing his eyes as if a headache was squeezing his brain. "Worse, in fact. I'm not sure-"

"You're going to be fine," Sonic assured him, turning back toward the road.

I, however, couldn't evict it from my mind as I started the car. Would he truly be okay? Or would this be the start to the final hours of balance?


	10. The farmland to Chicago

*Rachel's POV*

Yet another tragedy-stricken highway. There were streetlights, yes… but they glowed only dimly against the dampness in the world's color that came with the evening. In times before, they had been spotlights to movies of nights out both horrendous and enriching.

We were driving under a bridge… when out of nowhere, something crept out of the darkness and did something absolutely horrid. This was when I knew that apocalypse had injected insanity into people. Well, we were under a new world order, but… as it'd turn out, the non-undead had the potential to be just as deadly as the undead.

Both Amy's and Knuckles's windows were shattered. Amy screamed at the top of her lungs, only fueling my urge to floor it. There was nothing in front of us but open road now, so I had every right to.

My foot stomping on the gas petal would prove futile. Suddenly, I heard an ominous roar of a motorcycle engine from Sonic's side of the car.

"It's a gang!" Knuckles cried in despair, further making me panic. "Floor it! GO FASTER!"

"I can't!" I cried, just about ready to sob. "My speedometer is all the way up! I LITERALLY can't go any faster!"

"Keep driving," Sonic said, putting his hand on the door handle. "I can take care of these guys and catch up with you!"

"NO!" Amy cried, getting a death grip on Sonic's hand. "You'll die out there!"

Unlike I had guessed, Sonic reluctantly stayed back. Within myself, I was screaming the same thing.

At this point, I could feel the tears come back to me after what seemed so long. Was this it? Were we actually going to die from living beings rather than what was apparently 85% of the world's population?

"For the love of God…" I heard grumbling from behind me.

"Shadow?" asked Amy. "Are you alright?!"

"I'll be fine," Shadow grunted. "Just… Rachel! Ram into them! Veer over to the sides and run them over!"

"Are you sure?" I began to ask.

All of a sudden, I saw Sonic's window shatter as well, but not my own. Then, I looked to see that Sonic had a backpack of some sort on his lap. Oh, God… if this was really what it came to… I looked, and I could see the gun of a biker scorned pointing directly at my head.

I don't remember ever being more panicked in any point in my life before that one.

Without another thought, I pulled over to the right, and before I knew it, the car rattled over what was now the corpse of a man who tried to mess with us.

I heard Amy cheer, Knuckles and Sonic heave a sigh of relief, and Shadow chuckle a bit.

Pretty soon, we came upon another settlement. We were in a big city… a city I had come to point out as one with huge potential… that is, in times when happiness was more important than survival.

Suddenly, I heard "Hey! There's food in here!"

Before I stopped the car, I looked over and saw Sonic holding a couple of cans of soup.


	11. Chicago

*Rachel's POV*

And so, we arrived in what used to be one of my favorite places. It had so much potential… to bring smiles and enrichment into the day. Now, just like every other square inch you could possibly travel to, it only had the potential to break and kill.

Confidently, Sonic said "Rachel, you hang back for a while. I recognize some peeps around here, and I'm mostly sure they remember me. I'll be the one to see what we can acquire around here."

He cockily walked away, leaving me to sit and wonder what to do.

I looked over at Knuckles. He had his face in his hand, and I began to wonder why there weren't flames dancing around him like some sort of figurative freak show.

Then, I looked at Shadow. He simply laid there, his only objective being to fight these god-forsaken measles. To my surprise, he looked even worse. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until the paleness of his muzzle spelled death.

And then, there was Amy.

Even with Shadow battling this formidable microscopic enemy within him, absolutely nothing struck out to me at this moment nearly as much as Amy. She looked sick as well… with pure heartbreak. She didn't make a sound. She simply stared at a spot on the ground, not making a sound, and barely a motion. The tears glided down her face like it was an everyday commute.

"…A-Amy?" I asked with great hesitation. I couldn't sit here and take that sight… and if I were to stand up, there was even less for me to do.

"…Rachel," Amy finally spoke, slowly turning her head toward me. "I-I've just had… this awful image embroidered into my memory ever since you saved that family. Sonic… If he were ever to get bitten, he'd be permanently infected! We'd have to put him down!"

At this, she began to break down completely.

"No, we wouldn't," I tried to counter.

At this, she jerked her head so she was looking yet again into my eyes, frozen with shock.

"…I-it's true!" I continued. "We'd simply need to have him hang in there until we get to Safe Haven!"

"How is that so?" Amy snapped.

"Think about it," I explained, just realizing the truth within my own words. "Why is that place the only Safe Haven in the country? You would think that they'd put hundreds of them across the land… but no, each landmark we reach is both a survival bonus and just as much of a threat as everywhere else. I hear that the Safe Haven truly could be the end to all this. That they have a cure."

"Are you serious?" asked Amy, clear hope shimmering in her eyes.

"95% sure," I smiled. "Trust me."

"…But what if he were to turn on us and become a hazard before we reach that area?" Amy tried to argue.

"_Then _we put him down," I sighed. "…Success is about taking chances. Experimenting. Seeing what will go wrong and what won't. That's what I've learned, anyway."

"True," Amy nodded. "…You know, you're smart."

"Thanks," I blushed a bit.

"Alright!" I heard Sonic cheer from behind us.

I turned around and flat out gawked at the load he had on his back. A huge bag, decorated with spikes caused by scrap parts and bags of food and ammo… even the pipe from a muffler.

We were good. Therefore, we all piled into the car again and drove off. I didn't notice Amy change from her chillingly calm demeanor. Were my words really that powerful?

* * *

**Author's note: I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! And another thing: OCs! I WILL probably need them desperately badly! If I haven't used yours already, don't be shy!**


	12. Chicago to the remote shack

It was about an hour later when the tire popped.

Yep. All I did was run into a tiny pile of rubble that barely made a dent in the road, and I felt my corner of the car completely sink before screeching was all I got out of hitting the gas.

"Hang on," Sonic groaned. "I got this."

At that, he got out of the car and walked over to the trunk.

"…Amy, Knuckles," I heard Shadow groan from behind me. "Go help the faker out. I need to have a word with Rachel."

I almost went cold as they stepped out of the car. I don't even have much of a clue why anymore. I guess it was because I wasn't sure as to what this sickly, deep-voiced man had to say that only I could hear. Even I don't understand the meaning behind the words in the previous sentence.

"…I'm sorry," he spoke. "I can't take the chance that any more time is left for me."

At that, I seriously went cold, and tears formed in my eyes. Had I seriously not been paying attention here?

"What-" I began.

"I've tried," Shadow answered. "B-but… I'm… barely able to speak… I… c-can't… wait any longer… to tell you… something."

"At this rate," I began to sob. "You can tell me anything."

"Good," he smiled with the last of his energy. "…I-I've… been in… love… with you… before."

Time froze.

"You have?" I asked.

"I have…" Shadow said with forced energy. "…I'd always wanted… to be able to hold you… closer than anyone else…" His words gradually grew quieter. "But… if I were to do that… I'd… give you this plague… Besides, I've learned… to treasure our friendship… for the way it is."

At this, he groaned in agony, and for a split second, my heart was shattered.

"Oh…" I reacted. "…Shadow…" I was on the verge of complete breaking down.

"I… just…" he continued. "…wanted you to know."

At that moment, I felt my corner of the car lift back to the way that it was, and I heard Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles gradually climb back into the car.

Me? I was frantically wiping away my tears. And somehow, it worked.

Almost.

"Is something the matter, Rachel?" asked Sonic.

"No," I sighed. "…I'm fine."

It felt like tears would be the only thing I'd be seeing through for the rest of my possibly short existence. I had cried more on this journey than I believe I'd cried since after I grew to be a toddler. I felt so childish thinking about it… but another part of me told me not to blame myself.

Was I really that emotional?

I stared dead ahead at the long, winding roads, not bothering to say a word. While managing to keep my focus on my driving, I was really staring into dead space. Trying to prepare myself for the grave moment ahead. Trying to convince myself not to freak out over the uncertainty of the journey as a whole. Wondering just where Blaze, Silver, Vector, Charmy, and Espio were.

Trying to comprehend.

We soon pulled up to a place that looked similar to the farmhouse we had been to earlier. I frankly only knew to stop here because there were others as well. Two other groups, it appeared, both preparing each and every member for the deadly night ahead.

But no matter how hard I had tried, nothing could ever have prepared me for what came next.

"Shadow, we're here," I heard Amy say quietly. "…Shadow?"

"Shadow?" Knuckles chimed in. "…Hey, Shadow! Wake up!"

I heard nothing but both of their panicky breaths in response.

"What's going on back there?" Sonic asked worriedly.

"Shadow!" was all that Amy could reply. She then broke down in tears.

"What's wrong with him?!" Knuckles panicked.

At that, I began to cry yet again.

"I don't know," Sonic said shakily. "You guys unpack. The sun'll be setting soon. I'll see what I can do."

But as you were going to find out eventually, there was no hope.

I got out of the car and got one glimpse of him. He was still. The word "death" was zooming about me as if it were the only logical answer.

Amy and I set up camp while Knuckles walked around and talked with the other refugees. We all did so while shaken to the very core, and still shaking as a result.

The next thing I remember is Knuckles motioning us over to where Sonic had Shadow sprawled out on the ground. We walked up and formed a circle, staring down at Shadow with gaping, bloodshot horror. Sonic and Shadow both seemed frozen… and for the most part, Sonic was completely frozen.

"So?" Knuckles said, with a sadness-ridden voice crack. "Is he… okay?"

Amy was completely broken down. Knuckles and Sonic stood frozen, horror evenly sprawled out amongst their faces.

Tears flew out of my eyes. The world had frozen in its spot.

Shadow was not to be moved.

"I-I…" Sonic replied in disbelief. "…I tried. I think the measles got him. He claimed himself to be the Ultimate Lifeform, and… and I actually hate to see that he was wrong."

Knuckles composed himself and bent down, putting a solemn, heavy hand on Shadow's.

"I'm afraid so," he sighed. "He's… dead."

* * *

**Author's note: Don't like, don't read, right? Fellow writers… can I say something? Tonight, I've learned that you are a true writer when you feel the impact of a moment such as death reach out from behind your screen and punch you in the face.**


	13. The remote shack

The hours he had put in only for the sake of our cold, bitter survival. His unwavering support for something that we took for granted, even with his hatred for the world to see through.

The love for me that I had not picked up on for some cruel, demented reason. And he was gone.

I sat, staring at the blackened skies. It hurt to convince myself that in all of deepest truth… I didn't feel the same for him. It just wasn't there. It was all for Silver, I realized. Yes, Sonic and the other two were great to me, especially in these times when togetherness was crucial.

But Silver was my best friend. For a second, I was assured that I needed him more than ever in the following moments of Shadow's death. He had held me once before, and I almost wanted to try to have my mind recreate that warmth for me. As much as it hurt to realize it, that was not there either. Just the cold essence of death that followed me everywhere.

"…Rachel?" Amy said timidly from behind me. "We all miss Shadow."

"I kind of figured," I said shakily, turning around to face her.

"Sonic and Knuckles are only slightly shaken, though," she shrugged. "…It's really confusing. Anyway, I found something cool on the ground near that rotten wall over there."

I looked over to the wall I knew she was mentioning. I'm surprised it didn't have mold on it. It was chipping away, brick by brick. What could it have previously housed?

Then, my eyes were drawn back to the object in Amy's hands. It was so beautiful that it almost didn't belong here: a golden ring, doubly encrusted with diamonds. The huge diamond in the middle seemed to be freshly polished. It reflected and glistened with what light was left in this world.

"It has to be a wedding ring," she sighed. "…Now I feel bad!" Emotion built more and more within her as if it were physical pressure. "Love is all some people must have left within all of this chaos. It bonds two people together. Two people that have the power to reassure themselves that everything will be alright… because they have each other. Someone's lost their token of that!"

I noticed tears in Amy's eyes. That was deep, indeed.

"Poor person…" was all I could say in disbelief.

Then, at that moment, Amy just broke down like I was fully prepared for her to. I scooted closer to her, and we ended up in a slight embrace as she cried on my shoulder.

For the millionth time, tears crept down my face as well.

"Shadow was a great man," Amy sobbed. "…I wish he hadn't caught the measles…"

"Of course," I replied. "…Sometimes, I wonder if someone wished this horrible fate upon us. Are we cursed or something? And even worse… I feel like there's only more death to become. Usually, my gut is happy and smiley, but just like everything else… it is now dark and sad."

"Well…" said Amy. "Can I keep the ring? I'm thinking I want to propose to Sonic someday. It's beautiful. I think it's perfect."

"That, I think, would be the most beautiful moment ever," I realized aloud. "Yes. Keep that ring. Wear it if you must. Don't lose it. I hope Sonic can learn to love you as much as you love him."

I looked up to see Sonic and Knuckles talking to two separate people.

"Looks like they'll be a while," said Amy. "…You know… this is completely random, but… I ship you and Silver."

My cheeks grew red.

"Y-You do?" I asked.

"Sure," Amy nodded. "I don't get people who ship Silver and Blaze. They're practically fire and ice. She's all stubborn and cold. He's a lively, intelligent guy who likes to have fun. You're a lively, intelligent _girl _who likes to have fun. You two would look so gorgeous together."

"Amy?" I smiled, seeing that Sonic and Knuckles were carrying crates toward the car. "…Do you know how much it means for me to hear you say that?"

"Trust me, girlfriend," said Amy, standing up. "I know love, if you didn't know that."

15 minutes later found us on the road again. We all took a solemn breath as we realized we were leaving Shadow's body behind, hopefully to be a decoy that saves the lives of others… but a little later, hope found its way into my heart. I felt like a ray of the sunshine we desperately needed.

For once, I had Amy to thank.


	14. The remote shack to St Louis

Another desolate hour or so of rolling down cracked streets, which were even more littered with burning, rotting corpses than they were when we had went out on this mission for hope.

Only when I look back at the trip from that shack to St. Louis can I say that not much went on.

I can say that that was when I was beginning to approach my first total mental breakdown, of sorts.

Also… being there was one of the most scary, uncertain moments of the entire trip.

All of a sudden… the light that usually came from the speedometer went out. No new speed was acquired as I worriedly floored the gas pedal.

We soon rolled to a stop. We were trapped, with only one uncertain defense against absolutely anything that could have been thrown at us.

"Hang on," Sonic growled, stepping out of the car and opening the hood. "…Well, here's the problem. The battery has _literally _exploded. Please tell me we have spare ones."

Knuckles was way ahead of him.

"Yep," he said, taking a clean, healthy car battery to Sonic. "We have one more after this one, too."

"Great!" said Sonic, taking the dirty battery out and tossing it in a nearby bush (I'm surprised that it still stood… all by its lonesome…). "That makes me wonder about other things this car could mess up."

"We also have two mufflers and two spare tires," Knuckles nodded.

But that was the last I heard from them until they returned.

Mid-crisis… crisis struck me, and I was left to just sit there, spaced out, when in reality… I thought I was having my fortune told.

Images of death danced in my head. I could only imagine what would happen if the "Safe Haven" turned out to be a cruel joke. What would we do then?

My sanity dipped halfway to an all-time low… at the time.

And… Silver… I felt so cold and hopeless without him here. I could only imagine him and his telekinesis making us that group of weary travelers that could brag to everyone else. As horrible and cruel as it sounds… and as awful it would feel if we were on the other side of that scenario… it was true.

Not only that… but I wondered if maybe he and I would sit on the back of the car while he had his arm around me, and we'd watch a band of travelers tell stories and laugh around a bonfire, trying to shed what positive light was still conceivable on the situation.

It was that that kept _us _both sane and alive. And Silver may have been… gone…

I could feel my eyeballs begin to sting a little when Sonic slammed his car door and snapped me back to the cruel reality.

"We're good to go, Rachel!" he said. "…You really don't look so good. Are you sick? Oh, God, if you're sick…"

As I turned the car on and met a fluent startup, I sighed shakily. Bottling things up was only going to add a hint of poison to my sanity… which was already declining rapidly in condition, I'd learn soon.

"Sick with depression," I admitted, making the car go forward again.

I still didn't want to go any further than that. If they knew I loved Silver like… that… Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles would never let me live it down unless we learned that he was dead.

Indeed, I speak the truth, though. My sanity did decline. Not only was I sad, like had been the cases in all of the past instances throughout this entire trip. I could feel my faith drop to the lowest-possible point. There was nothing I could learn or get from the others.

Life was hard all of a sudden, let alone my optimism.

I couldn't say a word.

As we pulled up to a shelter that resided by the sign that said "Welcome to St. Louis!," I looked back at my gun and felt something I had never felt before toward anything of the sort.

Relief.

"No!" I told myself. "Look _away _from the gun! You _will NOT_ do it."


	15. St Louis

I literally jumped out of the car and found myself running a significant distance from it… significant being as far as I knew I could go without putting my life on the line.

Even though I'd end up doing that… in insanity's own special way.

I sat in tall and brittle grass, facing the seemingly soldered remains of what were rails on the side of another road. I curled up and put my face in my arms. I could only hear cries. The cries of those that had completely lost hope. They rang out like orchestras through the empty air, hitting my eardrums and eating at my sanity… and rapidly. There was not a word to be said, and only a few tears to be cried, for me… I remember that I started rocking a bit eventually.

It was just… I couldn't take it. My poor, optimistic heart was having a hard time on its own. I was the only one who still had the dying words of someone who was once my friend. I had no clue of the fate of my truest love. I didn't know if he was being eaten alive, or had become one of the soul-crushing monsters, or was… still out there somewhere… living and breathing... surviving and holding the hope that I found myself desperately needing… I only wished that I could have a clue…

Giving up that last shred of hope was physically impossible for me, but… the cries of everyone around me… You could say they began to annoy me. I still can't explain much more than the fact that they were simply wearing away at my sanity.

I raised my head up, looking back at the car. I tried to pull myself away from what I was thinking, but that became physically impossible. I know that what I was thinking there was something I would never EVER think about doing.

But I couldn't help it. I literally couldn't control my mind. It went on its own, controlling… me. So this was insanity.

I slowly stepped inch-by-inch, closer to the car. Only a single look shot my way, and that was from Amy. She did nothing more than give me a worried look before she returned to the makeshift image she was sketching in the dirt.

Eventually, I was opening the back door… reaching for my gun. Once I had it, I looked carefully to make sure that nobody had their eye on me, then ran faster than I ever had before back to the spot where I had sat.

My weary eyes scanned the scenery that was now common in life. Redness scarring the sky… fires cracking on what was left to burn… apocalypse.

There was nothing I could do about it… but my mind had gone irrational and was convincing me otherwise.

That all there was left to do… was to get out of it.

Soon… yep, you're reading me right… I had the gun against my temple. Who knew that even out of the bandits who were out for blood, and the zombies that were out for flesh… my worst enemy would be myself, who was out for… relief?

What would this be like? Tears began to stain my face.

This is a huge decision you're making, I told myself. Are you really sure there isn't another way? You should know this by now: You do this, and you are not capable of turning back.

Then again… Who'd want to turn back to _this_?! What I was doing had to be right…

Who knew? Perhaps I'd be with Silver… regardless of whether he actually loved me or not…

My finger barely moved toward the trigger before I heard "Hey!" from behind me. The moment after I heard that, a force totally blew the gun out of my hands and sent it to the ground.

Still being trapped within a trance of insanity, I dived after it, only to be held back by two surprisingly strong arms. Still, I desperately screeched and tried to reach the gun. That was my way out, my demented mind tried to tell me. The cries I had heard earlier repeated over and over in my head, like a corrupt video.

Sticking out against them… were the panicked voices of Amy and Knuckles.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Amy cried.

"What's gotten into you?!" Knuckles shouted.

Keep speaking!, I demanded silently. You're breaking the voices!

Eventually, the cries finally began to fade away, and even when I felt my sanity kick back into place, they were gone. It was just the conversing now. Maybe a bit of added silence; I looked backwards once and saw that a few crowds were watching us worriedly.

I eventually went limp within the reassuring hold I was getting from both Amy and Knuckles. Just what exactly had gotten into me? What… was I just doing?!

"What made you think that that was going to work?" Knuckles asked. "Are you… okay?"

I began to feel just a bit of hope replenish within me. Perhaps I just felt alone?

"I… went insane for a minute there," I sighed wearily.

"Insane?!" Amy asked. "You just tried to kill yourself!"

"Come on, Rachel," said Knuckles. "Even I know that there's still something left in life… even through this crisis. Yes, you remember the voice of someone who is now gone forever. However, we must press on."

"I'm fine now," I said, calmly walking over and picking my gun up, meeting Knuckles's worried eyes.

"I'll go see how Sonic's doing," Amy volunteered, walking away.

I sat down, taking breaths and trying to make sense out of what had just switched within me. Craziness… Utter insanity… I was scared for it to happen again.

Knuckles sat down beside me and said "You didn't… feel anything other than friendship for Shadow, did you?"

"No," I said.

"…I actually know you aren't lying," Knuckles laughed a bit. "Hey… We'll make it. If it's the last thing I do… I _will _reach Safe Haven… I just need to know if Rouge is there. I need to get to a safe place. No offense, but I'd like it if I didn't have to worry about the well-being of you guys… so I can worry about Rouge's."

I could see him trying to fight tears.

"I know what you mean," I sighed. "No offense taken."

"Cool," he smiled. "…For now, though… I'm just glad you're okay. I mean, I look over, and there you are with a gun against your head."

Just then, Sonic called "We're good to go!" from closer to the settlement.

A few minutes later found me activating the car… perfectly sane, yet _still _trying to make sense of what had happened back there. Honestly… my mind going against me like that was freaking scary.

It was all over now. I knew what it felt like when it was about to happen, and I decided that I could rely on the others to calm me down when it did.

And although I had just talked with Knuckles… Was he okay? He had his palm against his head. He almost looked… more troubled than ever before…


End file.
